1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to exercise equipment and, more particularly, to a total body sports performance enhancement system that allows the user to build strength at a faster rate through resistance training while keeping his/her hands free. The invention further pertains to improved footwear and belt configurations for use in such systems.
2. State of the Art
Sports performance enhancement systems can improve accuracy, endurance, precision, strength and efficiency, as well as several other key athletic and fitness attributes. Being an athlete and/or staying in shape requires considerable time and effort. Athletes must train their entire bodies in order to achieve total body fitness, which is a prerequisite in order to excel as a top tier athlete and to obtain an optimal body condition. The rewards of such an achievement are immense, yet the journey towards these pinnacles requires a great deal of time consuming dedication and exertion. The problem is that, normally, the aspiring athlete and/or fitness enthusiast would have to work out a vast array of different body parts, such as the upper and lower body, limbs hands, feet, etc. Then, he or she must maintain his/her cardio fitness by running and or jogging. Then, in the case of the athletes, they must practice movements in their particular sports to improve and sharpen the skill sets required for those sports. Therefore, there is a need for a versatile total body exercise system that can save time yet not compromise on the rigorous training that serious competitors and fitness enthusiasts need to reach their goals while effectively activating multiple muscles simultaneously.
Most devices and systems that attempt to create a total body workout system fall short because they either do not cover the entire spectrum of an effective complete body workout, or are ineffective due to poor design, or are either unsafe or uncomfortable to use. In other words, there is no safe and effective full body workout system that encompasses the foundation of free weight resistance. The two free weight exercises that represent the most strength or power are bench presses and leg presses (or leg squats). Each represents or addresses upper and lower body strength. Other exercises that represent the next best strength enhancement in free weights are arm and leg curls, as well as arm and leg extensions. This is the cornerstone of free weight exercise. For years these strength enhancements have provided adequate strength and performance enhancement exercise for millions of people. However, the problem remains that these strength enhancement exercises are very time consuming, and most devices that attempt to provide the full body workout are usually stationary exercises machines.
The exercises mentioned above provide good workouts because the focus of resistance force is underneath the finger tips and inside the palm of the hand (in the case of upper-body workouts), or near the ankles (in the case of lower-body workouts). These upper and lower body exercise actions are revolutionary because they incorporate two parts of the human body that make humans unique compared to any other species. The first part is the soles of the feet, which allow humans to walk upright. The second part is the fingers and palms of the hands that allow humans to build and create objects with their hands. The best way to improve the human body from the athlete's standpoint is to stay true to these focus areas while exercising. It is also to be noted and reiterated that the inside of the hand and the bottom of the feet, particularly the balls of the feet, are the main points of focus for resistance force. Most athletes are limited to performing one workout regimen in intervals, thus consuming a lot of time and also incorporating multiple body parts, but losing the core points of focus in doing so. Since each workout is individually performed, each workout requires a specific amount of time. To become a great athlete is one of the most challenging tasks to accomplish. Top athletes perform many full body workouts for many years at an aggressive level.
Resistance band training is an excellent alternative exercise tool that is not as stationary as other techniques and provides an effective workout with more creative capabilities. Early prior art resistance band workout equipment, whether it includes a bow or has twisting functions, or is adapted to hang from a door, share a common oversight. These products require use of the hands of the athlete, resulting in restricted use of the equipment. That is, these products are intended to provide resistance by use of some sort of handle, but these products have limited usage for aspiring athletes due to the confined parameters in which they were designed.
Different athletes require different skill sets. For example, in the game of basketball, certain players may have a better low post game while others have better shooting abilities. Often, the athlete with the better low post game may want to improve his or her shooting skills; however, most of the commercially available products are too general and not specific enough to improve shooting skills. Most of these products occupy the hands of the athlete during the exercise process, and since the hands are needed for practicing many skills, there is a disconnect between the exercising process and the skill practice.
More recently there have been attempts to provide resistance band exercise systems that free the user's hands. Examples can be found in the following patent documents: U.S. Pat. No. 5,186,701 (Wilkinson), U.S. Pat. No. 5,720,042 (Wilkinson), U.S. Pat. No. 5,993,362 (Ghobadi) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,099,446 (Johnson et al). The entire disclosures in these patents are incorporated herein by reference for purposes of background information. The systems disclosed in these patents have various disadvantages, but the most noticeable, and the one common to all, is the failure to recognize the importance of the foot as opposed to the ankle. More specifically, prior art systems ignore the importance of both plantar flexion and dorsiflexion training. Plantar flexion is the movement which increases the angle between the front part of the foot and the shin; that is, it applies to the movement of the foot about the ankle joint such that the toes are moved away from the shin. Dorsiflexion is the opposite movement; it is the movement which decreases the angle between the dorsum (i.e., the superior surface) of the foot and the leg, so that the toes are brought closer to the shin. Plantar flexion and dorsiflexion are critical to running, jumping and similar athletic activities; yet the stretching and strengthening of these muscles is largely ignored in these prior systems. A major reason for these failings is the improper directivity and application location of the tension forces applied through the resistance bands to the user's foot. If not applied evenly or uniformly, such forces can be ineffective and, more importantly, can cause injury such as sprained or broken ankles.
Also ignored in prior systems is the need for providing the user with the capability of selectively adapting the system so as to exercise the foot and leg muscles in different manners for training in different sports and athletic performances.
It is desirable, therefore, to provide a resistance band training and exercise system which, in use, frees the user's hands to engage in skill training and permits a user to freely move about and perform a variety of exercise and training activities. It is further desirable to provide such a system which permits the user to selectively adapt the system to safely and efficiently exercise the muscles that control movement of the user's foot and leg. It would also be desirable to provide components of such a system which assure that the tension forces are applied by the resistance bands to the optimum locations of the user's body parts such as the feet, and in the proper directions, to assure safe and effective exercising routines.